Maikel van der Vleuten wins in Treffen…

A delicacy for aficionados of equestrian sports was served up today at the CSI5* world ranking jumping competition, with prize money of 25,000 euros and two rounds already above 1.50 m. Twenty one active riders of the 49 who had started came to the second round for victory. And here Maikel van der Vleuten (NED) achieved a sensational round. As last but one starter, the silver medal winner of the London Olympic Games in 2012, with his 15-year-old grey mare VDL Groep Sapphire B, went out at the highest risk level.

He rode all turns tightly and made perfect use of the generous cantering pace of his ambitious mare, with the result that, in just 44.62 seconds, he literally flew over the last oxer to the finish and victory! Thus the Dutch rider was even able to hold off the fast Italian rider Emanuele Gaudiano who, with his nine-year-old KWPN mare Admara 2 and 44.81 second time, also demonstrated an incredible pace. Irish rider Billy Twomey and his 10-year-old stallion Ardcolum Duke scored third place with 45.01 seconds.

Things went really smoothly from an Austrian point of view too: new runner-up national champion Stefanie Bistan (NÖ), with her ten-year-old Danish mare Bogegaardens Apollonia, delivered two magnificent error-free rounds and achieved 13th place. Staying equally easily error-free was Hugo Simon (ST) with his nine-year-old For Pleasure offspring Freddy 7 (14th) but, with the slower time, just like Thomas Fruehmann (W) on The Sixth Sense (15th) he fell out of the ranking.